Ideas for lunches under £2

Butterfly_Brain

~Chameleon~ wrote: »

Tin of mackerel mixed into a third of a pack of couscous (Ainsley Harriot range are delicious and faff free). Healthy lunch and takes literally minutes to prepare.

I would have some mixed salad leaves and rice instead of couscous, I hate the stuff

purpledonkey

livewire_82 wrote: »

A little background information for you....
I'm getting married next year and as we all know these things are generally not cheap. To help find ways to save for the big day I want to reduce my weekly lunchtime budget.
I work right in the heart of London's west end on Oxford Street and I try to resist the more expensive sandwich bars and restaurants and usually opt for the nearby M&S which is just over the road.
Up until now, I have been generally buying myself averages priced lunches of between £3-4. I tend to get salad pots, ready meals, soups or sandwiches. I need to reduce this and would like some ideas.
One thing to note, my office continuously stocks cereal, bread, peanut butter and chocolate spread. I usually utilise these for breakfast but have recently found myself taking advantage of the bread for lunches aswell.
So far I haven't really found anything <£2 other than beans on toast unless I'm lucky enough to stumble upon something with a reduced sticker on it. Does anyone have anything a bit more inspiring?
I know batch cooking at home a few times a week is an option but I sometimes get home quite late and the last thing I want to do is start cooking.

I know what you mean about the prices! I have worked at both ends of Oxford Street and I had the same problem. I think batch cooking or preparing your own salads is a good option to be honest, that and bringing your own drinks in as that can save a lot of money. Does your workplace have a fridge where you can store food? It maybe worth at the beginning of the week stocking up on food so you avoid the temptation of going out and spending. That or hitting up Waitrose in John Lewis an hour before they close as that's when they reduce their food.

If you're Tottenham Court Road end (near the Pantheon M&S), there is a Tesco Metro towards Soho (in Dean Street) that is a bit cheaper than M&S and a Subway next door (£2 subs daily). Also there is a Gregg's in Portland Street a short walk away from Oxford Circus where you can get a sausage roll and soup for less than £2. If you're the Selfridges end of Oxford Street there's hardly any cheaper places to eat, but there is a Sainsbury's next to Marble Arch that occasionally has good deals. I used to use Boots points to get lunches there or hunt for vouchers online (here's one for free Sprite: https://apps.facebook.com/rediscover_sprite/coupon)

Hope that helps and good luck with the budgeting! :beer:

lilian1977

Hi - why don't you join this "take your lunch to work" thread for inspiration?

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4638893

Good luck xx

MandM90

Do you cook for yourself, for dinner? We usually eat yesterday's dinner as lunch. DD gets a huge hot lunch, with a side dish and dessert, at school so she has a sandwich and fruit, something on toast or hummous and pitta for dinner (effectively she just has lunch and dinner in the different order). That leaves only 2 adults to cook for, so I make enough for 4 and we have it the next day in a box for lunch.

quidsy

If you have a microwave at work then buy tins of soup then take a home made sandwich;

Approx cost breakdown

Wafer thin ham approx £2 for a weeks worth,
£2 for 2 loaves at iceland
5 tins of heinz or baxters soup for approx £4.

Total approx week spend = £8

Iceland also do muti packs of crisps (12 packs) for £2 or get some yougurts & fruit to make up the lunch.

~Chameleon~

quidsy wrote: »

If you have a microwave at work then buy tins of soup then take a home made sandwich;

Approx cost breakdown....


5 tins of heinz or baxters soup for approx £4.

For £4 I could make enough soup to last a month!

quidsy

Me too but the op said they dont cook much so as an easy options then 4 quid a week is still ok.

~Chameleon~

quidsy wrote: »

Me too but the op said they dont cook much so as an easy options then 4 quid a week is still ok.

I guess it depends how much they want to save money. Spending 20-30 minutes in the kitchen to throw a few ingredients in a pan to make a large batch of soup is a worthwhile compromise in my eyes. I often make 2 or 3 varieties at a time and freeze individual portions in containers like this, and also great for freezing batch cooked stew, casseroles, chilli etc

fletch3163

My lazy lunches this week have come to £3.15. As my son is now on school hols I have the extra 15 mins in bed. I bought a bag of bagels, sweet crunch salad and tub of egg mayo. Four days worth for £3.15 not to be sniffed at. Could have been way cheaper making my own bagels and egg mayo, but it's all about the extra quarter hour snooze-fest!

emg

Although I suppose there is time to make lunch in the mornings, I dont seem to have the inclination (and sometimes coordination!) at such an early hour. I get round this by making my sandwiches at the weekend and putting them in the freezer. I take them out each morning and this has the added advantage that I can't eat them too early as they arent usually fully defrosted until about 11.30am. At the moment I have been having wraps with either soft cheese and salsa or hummus and roasted veg. Both freeze fine. If I run out I tend to take some crispbreads and a tub of soft cheese - things I can just pick up but that dont need assembling. I usually also have fruit, yoghurt, savory popcorn and cereal bars so that I can grab a few bits to go with my sandwich.